Travelling by vehicle this summer? How about making sure your vehicle is ready for action?

Flying used to be fun to me. I've always been an aviation buff, my father flew in World War II, and in the early 1980's I realized a dream and got a pilot's license myself.

But flying commercially now (I haven't flown privately for years, alas) is nothing but a major pain in the buttocks. Whether it's obtrusive security screening that always seems to give special attention to those who don't fit the "terrorist profile" (grandmothers, etc.), airlines who apparently don't give a damn about the people who pay their salaries, airplane manufacturers who seem to be slacking off in their quality control, or just the layers of bureaucracy - from government to corporate – that strangle what used to be a pleasant and even fun experience, I'm at the point in my life where I'd rather not fly any more.